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The return of Broadchurch seems to be driving interest in holiday properties in Dorset at the moment, but when a property is as nice as The Great House we’re not surprised so many want to go there! This stunning Grade II listed house is only 250 yards from the seafront and has great availability from the end of Feb. Sleeps 8. More info on the cottages4you website.

There is one day of the year when rattling windows, icy cold bedrooms and things that go bump in the night are acceptable… Halloween. If you want to embrace the scariest night of the year this year, what better than heading to one of the UK’s most haunted destinations for a ghostly getaway.

Below is our list of seven creepy UK destinations that are sure to thrill you this Halloween holiday…

Berry Pomeroy, Devon

This small village just outside of Totnes in Devon is eerily isolated. The main focal point for ghost hunters is Berry Pomeroy Castle, which was built during the late 12th century. The King of England had gifted the land housing the castle to Ralph de Pomeroy. However, for years to come, it seemed that the house had a bad omen over it; being ravaged during the civil war and badly damaged by a fire in the early 18th century. The castle is said to host a number of ghosts, including the White Lady who haunts the dungeons and rises to the castle ramparts. Some have identified her as the ghost of Lady Margaret Pomeroy, who had been imprisoned in the dungeons by her sister, Lady Eleanor.

Pluckley, Kent

Pluckley in Kent is often described as the most haunted village in Britain. It has been said that at least a dozen ghosts are residents, including a screaming man, who is believed to have fallen to his death at the village brick works, and a highwayman, who haunts an area named Fright Corner, where it is alleged he was pinned to a tree with a sword. Arguably the favourite ghost is that of an old woman who sits on a bench drinking gin and smoking a pipe. However if you’re planning to visit Pluckley, be aware that you may be met with some frostiness by locals as well as the ghosts, as residents can get annoyed by the ghost hunters that descend upon it each Halloween.

Prestbury, Gloucestershire

Another village argued to be the most haunted in Britain is Prestbury, in Gloucestershire. A quaint, unique village with a distinctive look, Prestbury is coloured with beautiful honey toned buildings built from timber frames. It’s a stunning place to visit, with Cleve Hill offering fantastic views of Cheltenham. The most famous ghost to reside here is the Black Abbot Ghost. Folklore suggests that he visits the area three times a year, on Christmas, Easter and Halloween. You can find him with his head bowed in the churchyard at Saint Mary’s, so make sure to pass through here on your travels.

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle is believed to be one of the most haunted destinations in Scotland. In fact, Edinburgh itself is said to be the most haunted city in Europe. At this majestic 900-year-old castle, which sits in a glorious location sandwiched between hills and the sea, is said to be a variety of ghosts. The most famous ones have to be the phantom piper, headless drummer and a ghostly dog. A 2001 survey including 240 volunteers who visited the castle, found that nearly half of them experienced ghost sightings and spooky phenomena, including tugging at their clothes.

Dorchester, Dorset

Dorchester, in Dorset, houses one of the most haunted residences in England: Athelhampton. If you’re staying at Athelhampton, you’re likely to hear stories about Cooper, the ghost, who lives in the wine cellar and enjoys tapping on the adjoining wall of the Great Hall. There is also a monk who roams the corridors, who is believed to be the Catholic priest of the Martyn family. However, arguably the most famous and unusual spectre is the ape, formerly a pet who was accidentally entombed in a secret passage behind the Great Chamber. No one has ever seen this ghostly ape, but his scratching is said to be heard often as he tries to escape.

Angus, Scotland

Angus is home to one of the most haunted castles in Britain: Glamis Castle. The stories of ghosts and ghouls here are particularly rich and embedded in Scottish folklore. The Queen Mother was born at this castle and gave birth to the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret here too. The family chapel is said to be haunted by an old woman who was accused of witchcraft and burned on a stake on Castle Hill in 1537. Nicknamed the Grey Lady, this ghost is very active and has been spotted many times in recent years: normally above the clock tower.

Blickling Hall, Norfolk

Blickling Hall is a tremendous Jacobean building that covers more than 4,000 acres in the rolling Norfolk countryside. The National Trust building is absolutely glorious, but is not without its ghostly tales. One of the most popular stories at Blickling Hall is that of Headless Anne: a ghost that is said to visit the building each year on 19th May, arriving in a ghostly carriage. If you’re planning to visit this Halloween and will miss Anne, worry not. The ghosts of former residents Henry Hobert and Sir John Fastolfe are said to roam the corridors as well.

Pendle Hill, Lancashire

The Pendle Witch trials of 1612 saw twelve people from the local area accused of witchcraft. Ten were hanged at Gallows Hill near Lancaster Castle – a figure that represents 2% of the total throughout English history. It’s no wonder the trials are so well-remembered. It’s also not surprising that visits to Pendle Hill peak around Halloween! But there are plenty more reasons to recommend Pendle Hill than its ghoulish legacy. Nearby market town Skipton is highly recommended for its historic architecture, boutique shops, pubs and eateries, and if you fancy getting away from it all the Trough of Bowland is one of the UK’s best kept secrets for stunning scenery and unbridled tranquility.

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With so many great dramas, comedies and adaptations hitting our screens over the last few years, the UK is now awash with interesting and beautiful TV filming locations for us all to visit. Although not all of them are available to tour directly, they still make great holiday locations where you can soak in the atmosphere, feel and aesthetics of your favourite TV programmes. But with so many to choose from, and each with their own visitation limitations and restriction, how will you ever decide on which ones to visit? Well don’t worry, we’ve picked out some of the most famous, beautiful and interesting TV filming location in the UK to help you make up your mind. So here you are, five of the best TV filming locations to visit in the UK:

Downton Abbey – Highclere Castle

First on the list is probably the most famous. Downton Abbey has been a revelation not only in the UK, but also in America where its popularity has exceeded expectations. The show is revered for its accurate historical costume and setting, and critically acclaimed for its realistic representation of social relations in the Edwardian era, and now you can visit the abbey itself. Whilst many of the indoor scenes are filmed in specially constructed studio sets, the outdoor shots of the Abbey are filmed at Highclere Castle in Berkshire, the seat of the Earl of Carnarvon. You can visit the castle most days of the year, and since the show has attracted considerable tourist attention.

If Highclere Castle isn’t enough for you, you can also visit the village of Bampton in Oxfordshire, which is the setting for Downton Village. There is a scheduled tour of the village, or if you prefer you can walk around at your leisure and experience the setting for some of the major plot developments in the show. You can also get access to some of the closed off filming locations and see the Crawley House, Downton Hospital and St Mary’s Church.

Sherlock: The Hound of the Baskervilles – Hound Tor and Dewer’s Hollow

Hound Tor is the site of a deserted Medieval village on Bodmin Moor, and was the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s story The Hound of the Baskervilles. It’s fitting, then, that when the BBC came to adapt the story for the new series of Sherlock that they decided to film some of it there. The location has a history of being used as a TV location, being featured in Doctor Who in the 1970s and The Sontaran Experiment. This historical and archaeological landmark lies within the rugged woodland of Bodmin Moor, and offers beautiful views across its expanse.

Scenes for this episode were also filmed in Three Bears Cave in Forest Fawr Country Park near Cardiff, which was used to represent Dewer’s Hollow. Again a rugged and traditionally British woodland, this provided the dark eerie backdrop for the sighting of the hound, and has also been used in various other BBC TV programmes, such as Torchwood and Merlin. The woodland expanse of the country park is a beautiful walking holiday destination, which also allows you to take in some TV history whilst you’re at it!

Jamaica Inn – Cornwall

The BBC remake of Jamaica Inn divided opinion, but whatever you think of the shows recent foray onto our screens, Jamaica Inn remains one of the defining novels in history. Although the TV programme itself was filmed on a number of locations, including Cornwall and Kirkby Lonsdale in Cumbria, fans of the show, book or film adaptations can still visit the famous Jamaica Inn itself, from Daphne Du Maurier took the name of her novel – in fact, the Inn is now so famous it has been given Grade II listing status by English Heritage. Located in the middle of Bodmin Moor, the inn has been on the site since the 18th century, when it was used a resting house for smugglers and pirates in the area. Because of this interesting history, it has also been named one of the most haunted places in the UK.

Regardless of this connection with the novel and various TV and film adaptations, the Inn as a beautiful and historic site in its own right, and the nearby village of Bolventor and the surrounding moorland are typical of the rugged and sublime north Cornish landscape.

Doc Martin – Port Isaac

Nestled on the north coast of Cornwall, the small fishing village of Port Isaac has found fame in the last ten years as the filming location of Doc Martin. Called Port Wenn in the show, all the exterior scenes are filmed in the village, and can be visited all year round. Many of the interior scenes were also shot in the village, but in a converted barn on a local farm, which you can also visit. The village has a history as a TV filming location, having previously been the location of Poldark in 1970s, which is due to make a comeback on our screens next year. As well as a must for fans of the show, this picturesque fishing village is a great holiday spot regardless of its TV associations.

Broadchurch – Dorset

Slightly less cheerful coastal comings and goings took place in ITV’s drama series Broadchurch. The serial made good use of Dorset’s stunning coastline to tell a gripping tale of the dark secrets underlying a seemingly idyllic community. Thankfully, while the script (and the titular location) was a work of fiction, the beautiful landscape on England’s south coast is far from, with breath-taking landscapes, stunning scenic vistas and warm welcomes aplenty.

The success of Broadchurch has already prompted an increase in screen tourism to the area, but thanks to the abundance of tranquil beauty in Dorset we’re fairly sure that you won’t notice the increased numbers. Of course that may chance when they screen series 2!

Doctor Who – Cardiff

Doctor Who is known for inspiring serious levels of fandom, and its filming locations around Cardiff have become the stuff of legend. Although you can’t get access to any of the sets, you can take an unofficial tour or use the tour app to discover and visit the filming locations of the show. Cardiff is a great city, with fantastic scenery, architecture and museums, and is a great holiday destination even if you’re not a fan of the Doctor.

Aside from the location featured here, there are a whole host other beautiful, history and rugged TV filming locations which make great holiday destinations. It’s the perfect way to fulfil your TV fandom whilst having a great holiday at the same time. With cottages4You you can do both, staying in self-catering accommodation whilst visiting the famous locations of your favourite TV shows.